Tower crane

ABSTRACT

A tower crane, in which disposed on a non-rotary tower on the opposite sides thereof, are two booms having guides for the movement of load carriages with their load holding arrangements, and mounted on the tower under the booms is a rotating device to receive loads from the load holding arrangement of the first boom, and transfer loads to the load holding arrangement of the second boom.

United States Patent 1191 Kozlovsky et a]. Feb. 5, 1974 TOWER CRANE [56] References Cited [76] Inventors: Anatoly Avgustinovich Kozlovsky, UNITED STATES PATENTS orulheiny Pereulok, 25, 654,739 7/1900 Lancaster 212/47 Nikolai Evgenievich Paschenko, 3,190,456 6/1965 11611 212/14 Rostovskaya naberezhnaya, 5, kv. 150; Vladimir Grigmievich FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Polyakov, ulitsa Alabyana, 3, kv, 885,305 12/1943 France 1112/13 290; losif Yakovlevich Kogan, 6-oi Novopodmoskovny pereulok, 4, k Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher 9, all Of MOSCOW, U-S-S-R. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Holman & Stern [22] Filed: Nov. 1, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 194,761 [57] ABSTRACT A tower crane, in which disposed on a non-rotary Related Apphcalon Data tower on the opposite sides thereof, are two booms 1 Continuation of SW 28,747, April 15, 1970, having guides for the movement of load carriages with abandonedtheir load holding arrangements, and mounted on the tower under the booms is a rotating device to receive [52] U.S. C1 212/11, 212/12, 212/14, loads from the load holding arrangement of the first 212/47 boom, and transfer loads to the load holding arrange- [51] Int. Cl. B66c 17/06 ment f the Second boom [58] Field of Search 212/11, l2, 14, 47

4 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEB 51914 9.799.997

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TOWER CRANE This is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 28,747 filed Apr. 15, 1970, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to hoisting cranes, and more particularly to tower cranes.

It is most expedient to use tower cranes made according to the present invention in construction and erection work.

PRIOR ART Widely known in the art are tower cranes having a non-rotary tower with two booms disposed on the opposite sides thereof in one horizontal plane. Located on these booms are guides along which there move load carriages provided with load holding arrangements.

In these cranes each boom acts independently, i.e., carries out in succession all the operations of the load hoisting cycle, from its hooking until placing it in position, which significantlyreduces the efficiency of high cranes.

Apart from this, known in the art are tower cranes with a non-rotary tower on which horizontally mounted are two booms swinging about a common vertical axis. Mounted on the booms are guides for the movement of the load carriages with the load holding arrangements. These carriages travel from one boom to the other, and for which purpose mounted on the tower under the common vertical axis of the booms rotation are connecting guides which can be turned in the'horizontal plane.

The efficiency of these cranes is proportional to the number of their load carriages. To provide for continuous movement of the carriages, fixed on the booms are two lines of guides, which makes the design of the crane complicated and costly. Besides that, to secure free movement of the load carriages, each of them is equipped with an independent mechanism to hoist the load holding arrangement, and a mechanism to move the load carriage, which in turn involves a considerable increase of the crane weight.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate the cited disadvantages.

The principal object of the invention is to devise a tower crane that would have a device to transfer the load from one boom to the other, which should permit dividing the operations of the craneworking cycle into two groups, with one of them being hoisting only, and the other one-placing the load in position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With this object in view, in a tower crane, in which horizontally disposed on a non-rotary tower on the opposite sides thereof, are two booms having guides for the movement of load carriages provided with load holding arrangements, on the tower under the booms there is mounted, according to the invention, a rotating device to receive loads from the load holding arrangement of the first boom, with and transfer the loads to the load holding arrangement of the second boom, both these arrangements being definitely oriented and having elements for rigid connection, in their upper position, to the load carriages.

The rotating device is advisable to have a ring frame mounted on a roller or ball support fixed on the tower, and brackets rigidly secured on the outer side of this in operation.

No less advisable are elements for the rigid connection of the load holder of the first boom to its respective load carriage consisting of sleeves fixed on the load holder, and rods fixed on the load carriage and entering the sleeves in the upper position of the load holder.

Such a connection of the load holding arrangement with the load carriage prevents load swinging when transferring it from the load holder to the rotating device.

The most favorable solution is achieved in the case in which the elements for rigid connection of the load holder of the second boom to its load carriage consist of rigid guides fixed on the load holder and being vertically movable with respect to the frame of the load carriage.

Such a connection of the load holder with the load carriage prevents load swinging not only while receiving the load from the rotating device, but when placing the load in position as well.

The tower crane made according to the present invention is of rather simple design, and permits significantly rais-ing its efficiency, especially for large hoisting heights.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows the tower crane according to the invention, general view;

FIG. 2 shows the crane top part with the rotating device (to a larger scale),-side view;

FIG. 3 same, top view (shown up to the axis of symmetry);

FIG. 4 is section IV--IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows the load holding arrangement and the load carriage (of the first boom) in one of their lower positions;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, in the upper position;

FIG. 7 is view along arrow A in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is view along arrow B in FIG. 2 (view on the load holding arrangement and the load carriage of the second boom);

FIGS. 9, l0, and 11 show the successive positions of the load holding arrangement of the first boom when hanging the load on the rotating device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The tower crane has a non-rotary tower 1 (FIG. 1) mounted on a running carriage 2. Horizontally mounted at the top of a tower on one side thereof is the first boom 3 (short boom), and on the opposite sides thereof the second boom 4 (long boom), which is balanced out by counter-weight 5.

Located on the booms 3 and 4 are guides 6, 7 (FIG. 2) moving along which are load carriages 8, 9 (FIGS. 1,2) carrying load holding arrangements 10 and 11 respectively.

On tower 1 under booms 3, 4, there is mounted a rotary device 12 serving to transfer load 13 from the load holding arrangement 10 of the first boom 3 to the load holding arrangement 11 of the second boom 4.

The rotating device 12 comprises a ring frame 14 (FIGS. 2, 3, 4) on whose outside there are rigidly fixed brackets 15. Made in the ends of these brackets are recesses 16 to hang load 13.

The number of brackets 15 on the rotating device 12 is chosen so that it could serve as a storage of loads being transferred to the second boom.

The ring frame 14 is mounted on a roller support 17 which is rigidly fixed on tower l. Disposed inside the ring frame 14 is a toothed rim 18 (FIG. 4) engaging gear 19 which is kinematically connected with an individual drive 20.

The load holding arrangement of the first boom has a frame 21 (FIGS. 5, 6, 7) on which are mounted pulleys 22 of a carrying rope 23.

Rigidly fixed on frame 21 are hooks 24 taking load 13 to be hoisted. These hooks are mounted so that they should be turned toward the tower, i.e. so as to readily hang load 13 on bracket of the ring frame 14.

The load holder 10 is by rope 23 suspended on the load carriage 8. This carriage has a frame 25 comprising pulleys 26 to guide the rope 23, and rolls 27 by whose means carriage 8 moves along guides 6 of the first boom 3.

Fixed on frame 21 are elements serving for a rigid connection of the load holder 10 in the upper position thereof, with the load carriage 8, and which elements consist of sleeves 28. Entering these sleeves in the upper position of the load holding arrangement are rods 29 fixed on frame 25 of the load carriage 8.

Such a connection of the load holder 10 with the load carriage 8 prevents load 13 from swinging and turning about the vertical axis, which is necessary for accurate transfer thereof to the rotating device 12.

The load holding arrangement 11 of the second boom 4 has a frame 30 (FIG. 8) which is by rope 31 suspended on the load carriage 9. Fixed on frame 30 are elements for rigid connection of the load holder 1 1 to the load carriage 9. These elements comprise two rigid guides 32,-each of which consists of two uprights 33 (FIG. 1) braced to each other by lattice 34.

Located in the center of frame 30 is a vertical shaft 35 (FIG. 8) kinematically connected with electric motor 36, which rotates this shaft and the shaft is rigidly joined to cross-piece 37 on which hooks 38 are secured.

Such a design permits orienting load 13 in the required direction both when taking the load off the rotating device and while placing the load in position.

The load carriage 9 comprises frame 39 on which are mounted rolls 40 by whose means carriage 9 moves along guides 7 of the second boom 4.

Besides that, fixed on frame 39 are pulleys 41 guiding rope 31 which passes around pulley 42 located on frame 30 of the load holder 11.

Mounted on frame 39 of the load carriage 9 are rollers 43, vertically moving wherebetween are guides 32.

Such a connection of the load holder 11 with the load carriage 9 secures a possibility of lifting and sinking load 13 without swinging or turning the load about the vertical axis not only when taking the load off the rotating device 12, but when placing the load in position as well.

In the process of construction tower 1 is being extended, and therefore the second boom is all the time located at a small height (about one floor in house building) over the place of positioning load 13. In this case the length over which guides 32 are to move, is chosen as approximately one floor height.

The tower crane operates as follows.

Load 13 located on the construction site is lifted by load holding arrangement 10 to the upper position, as shown in FIG. 9. Rods 29 enter sleeves 28, and the load holder rigidly connects with the load carriages 8. Then the load carriage 8 moves along guides 6 toward tower 1 and is fixed over bracket 15 of the rotating device 12, as is shown in FIG. 10.

After this the load holder goes down until load 13 is hanged in recess 16 of bracket 15.

Further sinking of the load holder 10 results in hooks 24 being released, as is shown in FIG. 11, and the load carriage 8 returns to its initial position.

Now the load holding arrangement 10 is taken down to hook the next load.

After load 13 is suspended on bracket 15, drive 20 is energized, and the rotating device 12 turns until the next bracket 15 reaches the first boom 3.

The load is lifted off bracket 15 by the load holding arrangement 11 of the second boom 4. The load carriage 9 moving along guides 7, approaches the tower to a distance at which the load holder 11 is located under recess 16 of bracket 15. Then during the upward movement of the load holder, hooks 38 capture load 13 and remove the load from bracket 15, and carriage 9 delivers the load to the place of positioning. At the place of positioning load 13, the load holder 11 goes down, while guides 32 vertically moving in rollers 43, lower together with frame 30. At the same time, load 13 together with cross-piece 37 is turned in the direction required for its positioning. Cross-piece 37 is rotated by shaft 35 which is kinematically connected with electric motor 36.

In case the load had a packing case, the latter is returned in reverse order, as compared to the abovedescribed.

We claim:

1. A tower crane comprising a non-rotary tower, two booms arranged horizontally on the opposite sides of the tower, a guide on each of said booms, two load carriages suitable for travel along said guides, said carriages having load holding means, a turntable disposed under said booms and below the guides thereof mounted on the non-rotary tower, said turntable being operative to receive a load from the load holding means of the load carriage traveling along one of the booms and to transfer such load to the load holding means of the carriage traveling along the other of the booms, and means for rigidly securing the load holding means to their respective carriages in the upper most position.

2. The tower crane as claimed in claim 1 in which the turntable is defined by an annular frame having rigidly secured outside brackets to receive loads, and an independent drive for said annular frame.

3. The tower crane as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for rigidly securing the load holding means of the first mentioned boom to the load carriage thereof has a plurality of sleeves secured in the load holding means and a plurality of pins secured in the load carriage, and said pins being disposed to enter the sleeves upon said load holding means reaching its upper most position.

4. The tower crane as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for rigidly securing the load holding means of the second mentioned boom to the load carriage thereof has a plurality of rigid guides secured in the load holding means and said rigid guides being vertically displaceable relative to the frame of the load carriage. 

1. A tower crane comprising a non-rotary tower, two booms arranged horizontally on the opposite sides of the tower, a guide on each of said booms, two load carriages suitable for travel along said guides, said carriages having load holding means, a turntable disposed under said booms and below the guides thereof mounted on the non-rotary tower, said turntable being operative to receive a load from the load holding means of the load carriage traveling along one of the booms and to transfer such load to the load holding means of the carriage traveling along the other of the booms, and means for rigidly securing the load holding means to their respective carriages in the upper most position.
 2. The tower crane as claimed in claim 1 in which the turntable is defined by an annular frame having rigidly secured outside brackets to receive loads, and an independent drive for said annular frame.
 3. The tower crane as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for rigidly securing the load holding means of the first mentioned boom to the load carriage thereof has a plurality of sleeves secured in the load holding means and a plurality of pins secured in the load carriage, and said pins being disposed to enter the sleeves upon said load holding means reaching its upper most position.
 4. The tower crane as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for rigidly securing the load holding means of the second mentioned boom to the load carriage thereof has a plurality of rigid guides secured in the load holding means and said rigid guides being vertically displaceable relative to the frame of the load carriage. 